"I Am The Way, The Truth, The Life..."
In His Own Words
12/07/08 PM
Reading: John 14:1-6
Text: John 14:6
Introduction
I saw a piece of Bumper Art (that’s the marketing term for bumper sticker) that sent me to the Internet for information. It said “I’d rather be Mooneyating.” As it turns out, Mooney is a type of personal aircraft, so Mooneyating would be flying same and explains where that driver would rather be.
I see this kind of “Bumper Art” often as I’m driving our freeways and sometimes on T-shirts.
"I’d Rather Be..."
1. Fishing?
2. Golfing?
3. Anywhere else but where I am now!
Maybe you feel like that in your job, school, or home...
The fact is, we who are Christians should feel this way often, if not all the time. In his first epistle, Peter calls believers sojourners, aliens, and strangers in this world. We are a people just passing through this life on our journey home, a home Jesus Himself has prepared for us:
John 14:2 (NASB) “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.”
I’d rather be in my Father’s house; we should all feel that same way. Our text tells us how to find our way home.
#1 The Way
1.Christ is the way, the highway spoken of in prophesy:
Isaiah 35:8 (NASB) A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it.
2.Christ is the way, the narrow way entered by the small gate:
Matthew 7:14 (NASB) 14“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
3.Christ is the way, for by his own blood he entered into the holy place
Hebrews 9:11 - 12 (NASB) But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
a.He is our way, for we enter by Him.
b.Romans 6:3 - 4 (NASB) Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
4.In following Jesus we walk in newness of life, a life which we live in likeness of Him:
Ephesians 4:24 (NASB) and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
#2 The Truth
A. "Truth is relative"
1. Circumstantial
2. Situational
3. "That was 2000 years ago, but now things are different."
B. Jesus is The TRUTH.
1. He is the true water which quenches the thirst of the spirit; the bread of life which satisfies the hunger of the soul, He is the High Priest who enters the true Holy of Holies. (Hebrews 9:24)
2. The truth as opposed to figure and shadow. Christ is the substance of all the Old Testament types, which are said to be figures of the true.
Colossians 2:17 (NASB) things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
John 1:17 (NASB) For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
3. Truth is what Jesus brought down from heaven
Matthew 7:28 - 29 (NASB) When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
4. The teachings of Christ is truth, the doctrine of Christ is true doctrine. When we enquire for truth, we need learn no more than the truth as it is in Jesus.
John 8:31 - 32 (NASB) So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
#3 The Life
A. "Abundant life!"
1. John 10:7 - 10 (NASB) 7So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
a. Abundant life includes salvation, nourishment, healing (v. 9), and joy and peace and rest and much more.
b. Life here refers to eternal life, God’s life. It speaks not only of endlessness, but of quality of life.
c. With Christ, life on earth can reach much higher quality, and then in heaven it will be complete and perfect.
B. Jesus is the LIFE!
1. John 14:19 (NASB) “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.
2. Statement made to Mary:
John 11:25 - 27 (NASB) 25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”
3. Our hymn: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow...Life is worth the living Just because He Lives!
#4. No one comes to the Father but through Jesus
When Christians assert this truth today we too are likely to be charged with intolerance. God is known by many names, others will tell us. And religious men and women will insist that there are many roads, but all lead to God.
Today each person certainly is free to believe what he or she chooses. He can believe that all will be saved. She can argue that OT faith is as acceptable to God as Christianity. Great emotional appeals can be advanced for the “sincere” believer who seeks to approach God through Hinduism or Shinto.
Others will tell you that God is so good and loving that He could not possibly condemn anyone to eternal punishment, and thus logically all men and women will surely be saved. They can believe in Allah or Buddha or Vishnu or nothing at all. It makes no difference. In the end they will all be gathered up by God.
Conclusion
But whatever human beings may say, Jesus said:
John 14:6 (NASB) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
He did not come to only show us the way, teach us the truth, and give us the life, though He does all of this, because He is the Way to God, the Truth of God, and the Life in God.
Invitation
